Friday, December 21, 2007

Testing Time for Rudd

In an opinion piece in The Age [Under Rudd, Australia can tackle the Middle East positively, 21/12/07] Amin Saikal, professor of political science and Director of the Centre for Arab & Islamic Sudies at ANU, aired his views on the "challenges" facing the Rudd Government "if it is to make a constructive contribution to building a peaceful and stable West Asia and Middle East."

With respect to Iran, he averred that in light of the US Intelligence Estimate's conclusion that Iran had halted its nuclear program in 2003, the Rudd Government should "act from an informed position and distance itself from the Bush Administration's narrow geopolitical agenda to pave the way for possible military action against Iran no matter what."

Absolutely - except that in an ALP election ad for its failed candidate, George Newhouse, in the seat of Wentworth, we read: "Iran poses a threat to Israel. No guesswork is involved in this claim. We know it to be true from the direct, on-the-record threats of the Islamic President Ahmadinejad. Kevin Rudd's proposal is to charge Iran's president under the Genocide Convention." (The Australian Jewish News, 9/11/07)

Sheer madness of course, but will Rudd have the ticker to buck a promise to the Israel lobby he should never have made in the first place?

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